Facing form



Patented `lune 26, 1934 UNITED STA FACING FORM John D. Duke, Fort Valley, Ga., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Carpenter-Hiatt Sales Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Colorado Application May 4, 1931, Serial No. 535,055

10 Claims.

This invention relates to fruit packing apparatus, and has been shown as embodied in a facing form equipped with a clamp for holding a liner properly positioned during packing. Ac#- cording to the illustrated embodiment of this in- Vention, the clamp comprises a pair of upstanding metallic strips which have the tendency to spring together at their upper ends, whereby to pinch a liner which has been inserted between them,

yThe invention accomplishes numerous objects, chief among these being the provision of apparatus which speeds up the process of packing fruit or the like and which may nevertheless be eX- tremely simply and cheaply constructed. rPrior attempts at providing clamps have been unsatisfactory because either the clamps would not work well, or their use involved the waste of too much time in applying or removing them. Also there were usually separable parts which soon became injured or lost.

With these and various other objects in View, the invention may consist of certain novel features of construction and operation, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the specification, drawing and claims appended hereto.

In the drawing, which illustrates an embodiment of the device, and wherein like reference characters are used to designate like parts,

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the improved apparatus showing its use; and

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken through the middle of the apparatus shown in Figure l.

Although this invention may take many forms, only one has been chosen for illustration. The facing form 10 is used in a way similar to that in which it has been formerly used. The top choice fruit is placed on the face of the plate, a liner 12 is tted thereon and is lled up, a basket is slipped over the liner, and the assembly is inverted and the facing form removed, leaving the liner in the basket and the fruit packed therein with the upper layer uniformly and attractively spaced. The facing forms are provided with a rim 14 for centering the liner 12, which may be pressed down on the outside of the rim. It is desirable also to provide a flange 16 to aid in handling the facing form with the basket and for the purposes hereinafter described.

In the form shown, a stand 18 preferably riveted or welded to the facing form is provided for the purpose of more steadily supporting the facing form on an ordinary surface. Extending upwardly from the flange 16 are a pair of rnetallic strips 2O and 22. These strips may be secured as by riveting or welding to the flange 16, or may pass therethrough and be secured to'the stand 18 as illustrated. Either the strip 20 or the strip 22 or both, may preferably be made of spring steel, though of course any metal with sufficient rigidity would be suitable. The inside strip 2D may be made perfectly at and quite rigid, in which case the outside strip Y22 would preferably be slightly bowed and made stiiily resilient so as to exert considerable pressure in a localized zone, as against the end of the strip 20. The resilient strip whether it be 20 or 22, or either of them if both are resilient, is preferably made a little longer than the other in order to facilitate the insertion of the liner 12 therebetween. In orde;1 to hold the liner l2 still more securely, either or both of the strips 20-22 may be provided with a fairly sharp rib at the point of pressure, though such rib should not be sharp enough to tear or scratch the liner as the facing form and the clamp are withdrawn from the liner. The facing form 10 may be provided with a recess adapted to receive the inside strip 20 in order that the outside of the latter may be ush with the rim 14.

This clamp is of an exceedingly simple and inexpensive construction but is nevertheless extremely efficient. It requires no operation aside from the insertion of the liner. In other words, it is not necessary to turn handles or lit clamps over the liner, nor is there any diiculty in getting the liner in place, for it is merely necessary to press it against the spring strip 22 and slide it down, the operation being almost the same as if no clamps were used. By providing a construction in which the clamping point is considerably removed from the facing form, a single clamp is sufficient. Thus even the extreme edge of the liner shown is not shiftable without springing the clamp members or flexing the liner through its entire height. If the liner were clamped merely at a single point along its bottom, the liner could be raised at a distant point with practically no resistance. Even aside from the matter of clamping more effectively than any other single-point clamp, the clamp illustrated involves invention because of its simplicity of construction and eiciency of use.

It is to be understood that many other embodiments of the invention, including some in improved form, will be apparent, and in the course of time more will be devised by those skilled in the art. It is not desired that this invention be limited to the details described, for its scope includes all such forms or improvements as come within the spirit of the following claims construed as broadly as the prior art will permit. Especially it should be noted that both of the strips may be quite rigid if one of them is resiliently mounted.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination of a facing form and means secured thereto and effective at a point remote from said form for clamping a liner in position on said form by a pinching action on a single Wall of said liner.

2. The combination of afacing form and means secured thereto and effective at a point remote from said form for clamping a liner in position on said form, said means being so constructed as not to interfere with the slipping of a basket over said liner and substantially against said form.

3. The combination of a facing form and means secured thereto and effective at a point remote from said form for clamping a liner in position on said form, said means being so constructed as not to interfere with the slipping of a basket over said liner, and said means comprising a pair of slender strips at least one of which is'resiliently pressed toward the other one.

4. The combination of a facing form and means secured thereto and effective at a point remote from said form for clamping a liner in position on said form, said means comprising a pair of slender strips at least one of which is resiliently pressed toward the other one.

5. 'I'he combination of a facing form and means secured thereto and effective at a point remote from said form for clamping a liner in position on said form, said means comprising a pair of strips, at least one of which is resilient and arranged to press against the other.

6. The combination of a facing form and a pair of clamping strips arranged face to face and extending vertically therefrom.

7. The combination of a facing form and a clamp secured thereto and so constructed as to permit the insertion therein of a liner and having a pressure portion arranged to normally and automatically press against said liner to be effective immediately upon said insertion without any manual adjustment, and a pressure member arranged to receive the pressure of said pressure portion through a single Wall of said liner.

8. The combination of a facing form and a clamp including a pressure portion normally urged in a clamping direction and automatically effective upon the fitting of a liner on said facing form for holding said liner in place, said pressure p portion being suiiciently yielding in its action to permit the slipping of said facing form therefrom when a strong positive effort to that end is eX- erted on said liner.

` 9. The combination of a facing form and means vsecured thereto and effective at a point remote from said form for clamping a liner in position on said form, said means comprising a pair of strips, at least one of which is resilient and arranged t0 press against the other and is longer than the other.

l0. The combination of a facing form and a clamp permanently secured thereto and constructed to permit the fitting of a liner on said form independently of any separate manipulation of the clamp, and automatically to clamp said liner in position by a pinching action on a single wall thereof.

JOHN D. DUKE. 

